Weekly Bulletin – November 24 2017

THE PAST WEEK

The committee met on Tuesday and a lot of things were discussed. We will be continuing to use the “Store” for club equipment, as we have a very reasonable rate for our share, which won’t break the club bank.
We’re now actively making arrangements to hire the Lions Hall in Lancing for all club meetings and will probably run the venues in parallel, to give us time to move equipment, antennas etc., without any panic, and we can then give the Council a fair period of notice that we won’t need LPH any more. There’s adequate space at the rear of the hall for a shack and we’re now looking at plans and methods to allow us to build a secure structure.

Wednesday evening saw a fair few members actually on the air at the same time, with our multi-band net. With a few exceptions, most people were able to hear each other on all bands and Phil, G4UDU ably kept it all together as net controller. It’s been suggested that we try other bands to see if we can find something that works for all members, especially the distant ones.

*** Next week is the club’s Annual Quiz, where a lot of effort is put into it by Bob and Phil, so please support it by coming to the club. ***

The book can be downloaded for free here – URL http://www.itu.int/pub/R-HDB-45-2017
(it’s a bit of a faff, as you’ll need to register, but I can send you the PDF on request, Jonathan, G1EXG)

Geneva 23 October 2017 (WMO) – The recent spate of devastating tropical cyclones and fires has once again demonstrated the life-saving importance of weather forecasts and disaster warnings, which are critically dependent on radio frequency bands used around the clock by meteorological services.

In the face of increasing pressure on the use of radio spectrum from wireless technology and other applications, the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and World Meteorological Organization (WMO) are holding an international seminar on the “Use of Radio Spectrum for Meteorology: Weather, Water and Climate Monitoring and Prediction” from 23 to 24 October.

The meeting focuses on the protection and optimal use of the radio frequency spectrum used for the remote sensing of our atmosphere and exchange of information which are vital for Earth observations and efforts to understand and predict climate change. It brings together experts from national meteorological services and national radio frequency regulators.

The seminar also aims to increase awareness among national meteorological and hydrological services (NMHS) of the importance of meteorological-related spectrum protection – and the growing need for NMHS participation in national and international spectrum management activities.
“Accurate and timely weather forecasts make the difference between life and death,” says WMO Secretary-General Petteri Taalas. “This was demonstrated by hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria which hit the United States of America and the Caribbean and, most recently Ophelia which struck Ireland. These record-breaking events have had a devastating impact on property and infrastructure. The loss of life was tragic but it would have been even higher without the advanced forecasts and warnings which gave people precious time to prepare and protect themselves,” says Mr Taalas.

The last 50 years has seen major improvements in our ability to predict the weather. A four day forecast in the northern hemisphere is now as good as a one day forecast in the early 80’s. This has been achieved largely by our ability to better analyze the current environment through remote sensing of observations, and through having the communications technology and computing power to collect and process the large amounts of data necessary to model and predict the future state of the atmosphere and oceans. All of this depends on having access to radio frequency bands that allows us to measure the environment remotely, according to Mr Taalas.

ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao said: “Global climate patterns continue to shift, and severe weather events are becoming more common – threatening millions of lives and livelihoods around the world. In response, ITU has teamed up with WMO to support the use of radio-based weather prediction systems that can provide countries with the life-saving capacities needed to plan ahead in emergency situations. This is just one of the valuable ways in which ITU is promoting the use of information and communication technologies to create a better world for all.”

In recent years there has been increasing pressure on the use of radio spectrum from wireless technology and other applications. WMO and ITU have therefore worked closely together to ensure the availability and protection of scarce and valuable radio-frequency bands for making and exchanging meteorological observations.
Ahead of the seminar, ITU and WMO issued an updated Handbook on the Use of Radio Spectrum for Meteorology. The handbook provides comprehensive technical information on the use of radio frequencies by meteorological systems, including meteorological satellites, radiosondes, weather radars, wind profiler radars, spaceborne remote sensing, etc.

It is intended for all users, practitioners, technicians, developers and other interested parties and individuals of the meteorological and radiocommunication communities, including governmental institutions and industry.

The handbook (WMO-No.1197) and the Guide to participation in Radio Frequency Coordination (WMO No 1159) are the basic tools for NMHS participation in frequency coordination and provide national frequency regulators and managers with information about NMHSs’ usage and dependency on spectrum.

RALLIES

RAGCHEW

DX NEWS

HF:

This week’s bulletin was made possible with information provided by the OPDX Bulletin, 425 DX News, DXNL, Contest Corral from QST and the ARRL Contest Calendar and WA7BNM web sites. Thanks to all.

LIBYA, 5A. Abubaker, 5A1AL has been active using FT8 on 30 meters. QSL to home call.

SIERRA LEONE, 9L. Mark, KW4XJ is QRV as 9L/KW4XJ from Freetown. He is waiting for his permanent 9L call sign. His length of stay is unknown. Activity is on the HF bands using mainly CW and various digital modes. QSL to home call.

QATAR, A7. Justin, NE5JK is living and working in Doha and QRV as A71/NE5JK until he receives his A75 call. He’s currently running QRP power on the HF bands. QSL via operator’s instructions.

SAN ANDRES AND PROVIDENCIA, HK0. Members of the Yaguarete DXers Group will be QRV as 5K0T from San Andres Island, IOTA NA-033, from November 12 to 25. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and various digital modes. QSL via LU1FM.

HONDURAS, HR. Dennis, W1UE, Paul, K1XM and Charlotte, KQ1F will be QRV as HR9/home calls from Roatan Island, IOTA NA-057, beginning November 12. They will be active as HQ9X in the upcoming CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL via KQ1F.

GUINEA-BISSAU, J5. A group of operators will be QRV as J5T from Bubaque Island, IOTA AF-020, from November 13 to 26. Activity will be on 160 to 10 meters using CW, SSB and RTTY with three stations active. QSL via I2YSB.

US VIRGIN ISLANDS, KP2. Scott, NE9U will be QRV as NE9U/KP2 from November 11 to December 5. Activity will be on the HF bands. He will be active as NP2X in the upcoming CQ World Wide DX CW and ARRL 160-Meter contests. QSL via NE9U and NP2X via K5WW.

BONAIRE, PJ4. Operators Olli, DH8BQA, Paul, DL5CW and Tom, DL5LYM are QRV as PJ4/home calls until November 29. They will be active as PJ4Y in the upcoming CQ World Wide DX CW contest. QSL to home calls, and PJ4Y for this contest via DL5CW.

SOUTH AFRICA, ZS. Members of the Bo-Karoo Amateur Radio Club are QRV during November with special event call sign ZS40VDK to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the commissioning of the Van-derkloof Dam. QSL via the operators’ instructions.